Home's Cool - Why I love Homeschooling

I began homeschooling in 2007, when my oldest was almost 5. I had never even considered homeschooling before, but there was a couple in our church who homeschooled their four daughters. Their daughters were so well behaved and smart, and I really admired the mom as a friend and a spiritual mentor, so I began asking her questions. Before long, I had bought a child-sized school desk and ordered the K4 kit from Abeka. We did "school at home" in our new "school room", complete with a marker board hanging on the wall, for about a month before I drove her to the public preschool down the road and enrolled her one morning.

What went wrong? I was trying to recreate the public school environment in my home. I had her sit in her desk while I stood up and read the script from the teacher's guide. I got frustrated when she couldn't answer the questions the way the book said she should be. I didn't understand why she didn't want to sit in the desk, why she wanted to get up and down, and why she wouldn't raise her hand before she spoke or asked a question.

That is *not* what homeschooling should look like.

When I decided to try homeschooling again the next year, I did things totally differently. I didn't order a boxed curriculum. I didn't have a "school room" with desks and posters lining the walls. I didn't have any expectations.

We did school at the kitchen table, on the living room couch, and outside on the porch. We checked out books from the library, made crafts and art projects, played with pattern blocks, puzzles and board games, and did science experiments. We had math workbooks and grammar workbooks, but everything else was delight-directed and interest-led. We spent a ton of time outside playing.

And I loved it. I finally understood what homeschooling should look like!

I kept adding kids to the homeschool day, each year changing things a bit to fit the kid's learning styles and our lifestyle. Anytime I have crept back into the "school at home" attitude, things have tanked. As the kids get older, we have had much more structure, more workbooks and curriculum, and it does take more time each day. But I try to remember that homeschool should not look like public school at home.

We don't have to do things the way they're done at school. We don't have to have "recess" because my kids play outside for hours each day.

We don't have to have "bathroom breaks" because my kids can go whenever they feel the urge.

We don't have to sit in our desks because my kids can do school at the table, on the couch, or outside on the porch.

We don't have to be quiet while we work so we don't distract others because life is full of distractions and my kids are learning to focus despite them.

We don't have to put our heads down on the table while everyone is finishing their work because my kids can move on to the next thing when they're done.

We don't have to raise our hands to get attention because my kids have my full attention.

We don't have to move to the hallway when we're having a hard time with something because my kids can get a hug when they're feeling frustrated.

We don't have to worry about what others think about us or if we're going to look 'dumb' because my kids know that they're smart and that it's okay to ask questions or not to understand something right away.

We don't have to worry about being bullied or made fun of because that's not what we do in our house.

We don't have to worry about studying for a test or cramming in vocabulary words or sight words because we work to mastery. If my kids don't understand something, we work until they do.

We don't have to have practice standardized tests because my kids don't take standardized tests when they're in elementary, and when they do take them, we don't have to worry about getting a high score so we can receive more funding.

We don't have to learn how to do things the "common core" way because I teach the kids in the way that they can best understand.

We don't have to worry about coming across things in our curriculum that are against our beliefs because we use Christian based homeschool curriculum. If we do come across something in a library book that goes against what we believe  I can address it right away.

These are just a few of the things I love about homeschooling. Homeschooling has become a lifestyle for our family, and it's one that I am so blessed to be a part of. Learning isn't something that should happen away from home, at a big brick building, five days a week. It should begin at home, and then spill over into everything we do.

I have learned just as much, probably more, than my kids have during our homeschool years. I have learned more about history and the Bible than I ever learned in public school! I would like to share a few tips that I have learned over the years.

1.) Don't compare! Don't compare your kids to anyone else - ever. All children will learn to read on their own timetable. They may pick up math concepts quicker than someone else. Maybe they will struggle with writing more than one of your other kids. Don't compare, either in your mind or out loud to your children. Remember that each child learns differently and that is okay!

2.) Don't mimic the public school system! You don't have to use books or curriculum or schedules or anything the public school has to offer. You can customize your curriculum, books, activities, and learning to fit your child. Public school has a one-size-fits-all approach that does not work for everyone. Don't make that mistake in your homeschool!

3.) Be patient! Be patient with the child you have in front of you. Don't raise your voice, don't belittle, don't get frustrated. You have all the time in the world to teach your child. The way you speak to your child becomes their inner voice. What do you want your child's inner voice to say to them?

4.) Include life skills! Chores are a must around our house. Each day, my children get a chore card for one room in the house. They have to check off every box on the chore card to clean the room. They have to make their beds, put up their clothes, and clean up after themselves. They cook meals, bake treats, and help with projects around the house. They feed and take care of animals, check water troughs for our horses and cows, and mow the yard. They wash clothes, take care of the baby, and go grocery shopping for me. Obviously, not all of the kids do all of the things I listed. My 7 year old doesn't go grocery shopping, and my 9 year old doesn't mow the yard. But they all learn life skills everyday and they all have responsibilities.

5.) Make it fun! Add in crafts, fun experiments, and interesting books. Try to make things memorable. Cook a recipe from the country you are learning about, make a craft from the time period you are studying, or play a game to help cement the math concepts you're teaching. I aim for one fun thing each day, just to help keep things interesting. My kids love crafts, so we do quite a bit of those!

Homeschooling can be so much fun. Don't make the mistakes I made at first. Take it one day at a time, adding in things slowly and taking away the things that you need to.

What do you  love about homeschooling?